Safety flash-light apparatus for elevators.



110.885,942. VleAJENTBD APR'. 2a, 1908.

. c. E. ,Moonl SAFETY FLASH LIGHT 'APPARATUS FOR BLEVATORS. APPLICATION FILED SBPT. 3, 1907.

oHARLEs E. MooRE, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY FLASH-LIGHT APPARATUS FOR ELEv'AToRs To allwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. MOORE, a

. citizen. of the United States, residing in the city of Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, and State of California, have invented a certain new .and Improved Safety Flash-Light Apparatus for Elevators, of which the followthe circuit making and breaking means, the` V cars, .in which the control lever is brought t'oy ingris a specification'.

. his invention relates to the provision, on the car or cage of an elevator system, of an electric lamp to be automatically lighted when theelevator car is brought to a stand still, and to be automatically extinguished when the elevator is put in motion, the light' being' so arranged to reflect upon the threshold of the landing, showing a erson about to alight from orenter the car, w ether or not the floor of the car orcage is level with the landing door, thus avoidingaccidents due to the stop ing ofthe car above or below the ioor of the anding.

The invention consists in providing an electric lamp in such position as to throwits rays of light directly across the landing, the lamp being preferably provided with a Arelector, so as to concentrate its rays upon the landing. This lamp is connected in circuits which are completed and broken alternately by the operation of the operating arm or' lever by which'the motion of the car is con trolled.

The invention yconsists furtherin the constructions and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and particularly specified in the claims and will be more readily understood by reference to the 'accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

and in which Figure 1 is a crosssect1on of an elevator car or cage provided with my flash light apy paratus. Fig. 2 is a diagrammaticview of same being shown on an enlarged scale. Fig'. 3 shows a slightly modified arrangement lof the electric circuits particularly adapted tor use` on hydraulic or otherlever controlled afvertical position when the car is stopped.

As shown in the drawings, 2 represents an electric lamp which may be arranged at any -convenient point at or near the iioor of the car or cage, or in any other preferred position, lso that the rays of thelamp may be thrown 'fipon the threshold of the landing when the` car is brought into proximity with the landing and stopped. This lamp .is provided Specification `of Letters Patent.

. Application filed September 3, 1907. Serial No. 391,280.

Patented April 2s, 1908.,

ferred construction.

operated by an electric motor with an' elecemploy the electric connections for the flashlight, substantially as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 Vwhere I have indicated two pairs 'of circuit makers and breakers adapted to be operated by the switch arm 4 of the controlling switch. These circuit makers and breakers 5, "6 may vbe of any ordinary or any preferred construction. As shown, they consist of a plug 'Z having an annular shoulder 8 on the inner side'of which asprin 9 is adapted to bear and normally lthrow t e'plug or rod 7 out so that the circuit between the metal contacts l 10 and 11 is broken. These contacts are y preferably secured to stripsyof insulation 1'2 fastened to the body of the elevator car or to the switch-board of the car, as desired, and plates 13 yare secured to the face of the art carrying the contact plugsv5, 6. Eac of these plates 13 is provided with an opening is adapted to extend, the shoulder 8 preventthe car to'descend, a control-circuit switchlarm or lever, as' indicated at t Fig. l, being used to close either the up or down circuit through these contacts. I prefer to embody my invention upon a car by providing two pairs of contacts, one in connection with the up contacts of the control switch, and one pair in connection with the down contacts of the control switch, and have illustrated these as arranged at the sides ot' the switch arm 4, which is shown in vertical position in Fig. 1..

14 indicates a battery or source of electrical energy, and may be either a `dry or storage rived circuit from the-car control switch cir through which the head of the. contact plug ing the spring-9 from ejecting the contact battery, or,"it` desired',.be connected in a .dej

with` a reflector 3 of the ordinary or any prey ,p When my invention isl applied to a car 'y 6o .trical control switch in the car, I prefer to' to cause the motor to be actuated to permit cuit, as desired. From this source of electrical energy 1 4 the circuit is traced through wire 15 to the contact 11, from the contact 10 through wire 16 magnet 1 7, wire 18 to battery. It will be noted that the circuit is broken between the contacts 10, 11 until the circuit maker or lug 5 is pressed inward to make contact with the ends of the plates or contacts 10, 11'. The circuit .is then completed and the magnet 17 energized to draw the circuit closer l19 inward between the contacts 20, 20 of the li ht circuit, closing the light circuit through ti this light circuit being connected, as indicated, with a suitable source of electrical energy, which may be by a circuit from. any suitable -source of electrical energy, or from a storage battery.

fWhen the lever arm 4 is moved toward a vertical osition so as to ass from the plug 5 and re ease the same, then pass on to the plug 6, pressing the point thereof between the contacts 10 and 11 the breaking circuit is completed and the magnet 22 energized to draw up the locking detent 23allowing the circuit closer. 19 to pass away from the contacts 20, 20. ofv the light circuit.' The circuit ofthe magnet 22 is traced from the battery or source of electrical ener 14 through the wire 24 and contact 1l, p ug 6,

'contact 10, wire 25, magnet 22 and return wire 26 to the battery.

It will be noted that the detent 23 is provided with a shoulder or oit-set which en- Gages back of the 'circuit closer 19 positivel ho ding the circuit-closer 19 in contact Wit the contacts 20,20, until the breaker magnet has been ener ized to draw the detent up and allow the clrcuit closer to Withdraw. This circuit closer 19 may be provided with a conical contact point as shoWn,and depend upon the spring tact 2.0, 21 to break the contact, or, if de sired, a spring may be employed in connection With'the circuit closer. 19 to lexert spring pressure to retract the closer 19 when the detent 23 is drawn up by the lmagnet 22.

Assuming that the foregoing description is ap lied to the pair of contacts 5, 6 royvide in' connection with thecontrol swltch on the car so as togbe in position to be operated when the elevator cai` is traveling in an upward direction, I provide a similar pair of contacts indicated as 5, 6 in ig. 1 connected in a similar manner as before described, so that when lever arm4 is thrown to the right to allow the car to move downward the lamp 3 is extinguished by the arm 4 coming in contact Awith the contact 6', and when the downward direction of the car is interrupted and the-.car brought to a standstill the arm or lever 4 strikes the plug 5', com leting the circuitthrough the ma net 17, rawing the circuit closer 19 into p ace to close the lamp circuit.

e circuit wires 21, 21',

pressure of thespring con- -in vertical position, 1t is only necessary to provide one -plug 5, as indicated in F ig. Si, a

circuit breaking plug 6 and magnet 22, with their circuit connections being provided in position to be operated by the operatinvr lever when thrown into positlon to start t c car upward or downward. It is thus seen that rovide electrically controlled means for ightin and extinguishing the threshold flash light w enever the car-switch lever is thrown into position to stop or start the car, thus insuring that a person about to enter or depart from the elevator car or cage can readil see whether the floor of the car is flush wit the floor of the landing or above or below the same, thus avoiding accidental injuries heretofore frequently occurring due to the inabilit of the `passenger to clearly see the location pity the car floor with respect to the landing oor. Many electrical and mechanical equivalents for parts of the apparatus shown will readil suggest themselves to mechanics skille in the art, and I therefore do not conne myself to the rdetails of construction shown. Q

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentz.

1. A'safety flash light system for an elevator car comprising a light ada ted to ash across the floor of the car at t e gateway thereto, electrical connections for said light, and means, in combination with the operating lever of the car, for automatically lighting said light when the lever is thrown to stop the car'.

2. A safety flash light for elevators comprising in combination with the car-controling lever, an electrical circuit normally open, an electriclamp connected in said circuit and positioned to throw its light out along the loor vof the entrance to the car, m netic means for making and breaking said li t circuit, said magnetic means rovided with circuit land circuit makers and reakers operated by the car-controllinr lever to complete said light circuit when the car is stopped and break the circuit when. the car 1s put in motion.

3. A safety flash light for elevators, comrising in'combination with the car-controling lever an electric lamp, a normally open circuit for said lamp, magnetically operated means for closing said circuit, magnetically operated means for breaking said circuit, a

circuit closing means f or closing the electric.

circuit through the magnet of .said magnetic circuit closing means, when the car-controlling lever is brought to a position to stop the car, and -a circuit closing means, for' closing sem-942.

the eircuitthrough the magnet of said cireuit breaking-means," operated by said ear-controlling 4over when said 4lever is thrown to a position to put the ear in motion. 5 4. A safety flash light for elevators comrising in combination Withthe car-controling lever, of a normally open circuit, an elec.- tric lampx'insaid eireuit and positioned to throw its liglit outnalon the loor of the ear- 10 throu h thejgateway tiered, magnetically contro led 'circuit-closer means for said light 4.circuit means operatedby said ear-control ling lever to aetuate said circuit-closer to said'light eireuit when the elevator car is' stop ed, and means operated by said'car- 15 conti'o ing lever to actuate said circuit-closer to lbreak said light circuit when saidv car is started.

' In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 28th 20 day of August, 1907.

CHARLES E. MOORE. 

